


Of Pretending and Protection.

by heyitsnxel



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Demon Shane Madej, Ghost Hunting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-07
Updated: 2019-12-07
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:48:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21699520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heyitsnxel/pseuds/heyitsnxel
Summary: It was different this time.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 251





	Of Pretending and Protection.

The hallway was dark, moon peeking through the broken windows and sending an array of shadows across the floor. It was nothing unusual for a pair of ghost hunters to encounter. A dark hallway , scary shadows , the occasional blip on the spirit box. 

But, this house had been different from the start. And coming from Shane , that meant a lot more than it would from anyone else. Usually , the ghosts and demons would avoid him. They’d catch one glimpse of his stare and vanish onto another plane of existence , only to return when he and Ryan were no longer there. 

Those were the normal ghosts. This hallway , this house , the presence was more than Shane had bargained for. His demeanor had shifted , far too serious compared to his Youtube persona. Ryan had noticed , though surprisingly , he’d not brought it up. 

He wasn’t scared. That was Ryan’s thing. The screaming, the panic , the  _ believing.  _ Shane was the skeptic ; He brought humor in the moments where it was most needed , aiming to calm Ryan’s anxious nerves and ward off any spirits that actually did mean harm.

And sure, maybe his presence did interfere with the occasional ghost hunt , but Shane would rather the supernatural flee at his presence than lay a cold , dead finger on Ryan. It had been that way from the start.

Meeting Ryan was a strange experience. He’d been so lively , so animated , so  _ sure  _ in his beliefs. He  _ knew  _ ghosts were real. He  _ knew  _ demons were real. That scared Shane more than any of the locations they’d ever been too. 

Because, what would Ryan do if he found out his proof had been right next to him this whole time? Would he be afraid? Intrigued? Hurt that he was lied to throughout their whole friendship?

It wasn’t a chance Shane was willing to take anymore. He’d go on these silly , little ghost hunts and drive away all the bad spirits that came through. He’d occasionally let some of the friendlier ones make vague contact with Ryan , enough to keep the viewers and Ryan himself interested.

Tonight , he wasn’t sure he was willing to take the chance.

The moment they’d stepped into the old , abandoned house , Shane was on guard. He was tense , worried. Whatever entity that resided here didn’t  _ care  _ that a demon was on their turf. They were more interested in the fear ; Feeding off of it. And with Ryan, it was a never ending buffet.

A bundle of nervous before they even arrived , Ryan’s apprehension was only escalating. Footsteps hit the floor , behind them , in front of them , above them. It was so quick Shane couldn’t keep track of where it was or even  _ what  _ it was. He only knew the longer they were there , the worse things could be.

They’d both stopped , heels firmly planted against the ornate rug on the floor as they heard the footsteps again. They both stared at the doorframe , raising a flashlight as if it would do any good , before Ryan turned and began to walk away.

_ ‘Oh one of us, hm?’ _

_ Shane cocked his head , staring at the mass of darkness in front of him. ‘Yes and no.’ _

_ ‘It’s not a yes and no answer, boy. It’s one or the other and y o u are definitely like me.’ _

The glowing eyes in the dark darted to Ryan, an unnerving grin slowly cutting through the darkness like a knife.

_ ‘Don’t even think about it,’ Shane growled , low and threatening. ‘He’s not here for you.’ _

_ ‘Isn’t he though?’ _

_ ‘No.’ _

“What are you staring at?” 

The question barely registered to Shane’s ears , forcing himself to turn around and continue to follow Ryan to the bedroom they were investigating first. He could feel Ryan’s eyes on his back the whole way there. It didn’t dawn on him that he never answered until he was sat on the edge of a twin sized bed , face to face with a painting of ballet slippers on the wall.

Ryan was fumbling around in his bad , a nervous tremor running through his fingers as they clasped around the spirit box. Shane braced himself , forcing every ounce of his energy to that godforsaken box and whatever ghost , spirit , whatever was about to try and speak through it. 

The static started , a flicker through radio channels that sent Shane’s head into its’ own kind of static itself. He hated it - so much.

“Is there anyone here tonight?”

They both waited , eyes locked onto the box. There was nothing but static.

“I’m Ryan. That’s Shane. We just want to talk to whoever is in this house.”

The static abruptly stopped , footsteps sounding across the hall. Ryan’s head whipped in that direction , the same look of paralyzed fear that overcame him every time something like this happened. On any other occasion , Shane would be amused. 

His lack of control here though left him more worried than anything.

“What the fuck?”

A nervous laugh from Ryan ; Shane shook his head , trying to brush it off as coincidence. 

“Just the wind.”

Ryan had spiraled into an argument against that statement before it even finished leaving Shane’s lips. He sighed , turning to the door , only to freeze on the spot. Shadows were conforming , large and heavy , standing over Shane in the hallway. 

Ryan was still focused on shoving the box back into his backpack , unaware of what loomed just outside the door.

A quiet laugh echoed in Shane’s ears. 

_ ‘He’s scared of everything, isn’t he?’ _

Shane forced the growl in the back of his throat away , silently staring at the shadowy form in front of him. His eyes narrowed , a glare that surprised even Shane himself. The shadows fell to the floor , dissipating like smoke. 

“... And you can’t just brush stuff off like that as the wind.”

Ryan was brushing past him into the hallway , feet hitting the carpet where the entity had just been. Shane cast a glance back over his shoulder as he left the room, exhaling slowly when there was nothing there.

-

They left before the next morning. Ryan blaming it on fear , partially true , and Shane blaming it on wanting to get out of the house - entirely true. Ryan would continue to pretend not to notice the darkness encapsulating his best friend’s eyes on some of their ghost hunts. He’d continue to pretend that he didn’t notice Shane’s blank stares , the rapid mood changes , the sheer boldness in some of the places they went to.

He’d continue to pretend that Shane was a normal human being. It was easier that way.


End file.
